Two Minute Business Wisdom

It is hard to turn down a once in a lifetime opportunity, even when you know that opportunity is more likely to end the life of your business.

Best-of lists are not the simple celebrations they are laid to be. They are a path to almost guaranteed paid advertising and a low-level example of manipulative targeting to the mass.

You don’t have to force expansion on you business it it doesn’t feel right for it. Or you.

Advice for overachievers frustrated with those around who can't keep up.

You created the contract to lock in your employee to your will. But those same employees are probably working for you 'at will.'

There is a time to invest, a time to splurge, and a time to save from the returns from your business. Know when the time is right, and don't let other 'entrepreneurs' try to shame you into not putting money away into savings.

It's time to declutter your business. Whether it's a bloated menu, overflow of inventory, or just too many services you are willing to offer, if it does not bring you 'joy' (or significant profit), you should stop offering it.

Finding a mentor is challenging. Finding a good mentor is exceptionally challenging. Don’t let the fact this is hard work keep you from looking, and if you can’t find that right person in the flesh, there are plenty of people who wrote books and produced videos that can help you along the way.

Marketing is essential to the life of your business. And using free tools to assist in your marketing is very good.

This is not about work-life balance exactly. This is about a personal balance quest that will help you develop the mythical work-life balance.

In the quest to have a thriving organization, you have to plan from the start with what it takes to make it happen.

Growing is key to staying in and ahead in business. Education is a simple way to see the fruits of growth.

Being frugal is a key in ‘buy low, sell high,’ so do the best you can start on a frugal plan. And if you can maintain that plan well into business maturity, even better.

Simple. Basic. Necessary. Do it. Develop a business plan.

Blocking off time is a great way to isolate yourself to get things done, but you have to be sure you can be available in that blocked time.

People will stick with a company longer and spend more money with them to reach the next milestone in a loyalty program. It makes people willingly play vanity against consumer business sense.

It is not about finding shortcuts or corners to cut. You should look for as many advantages to promote your business that will give you an edge that is ethical.

Know the difference between a gift given to you to put towards your business and a loan that must be paid based on defined terms and conditions.

As a history buff, I know a lot about things that happened before I was born because someone took the time to document the events in hopes future generations can learn and grow. As a business person, be a student of others’ history of progress so that you too can learn from the past to help you progress toward a more lucrative future.

When you're not working on your business, you're not working on your business. But there are times when the best thing you can do for yourself and your business is to not work on your business and be unreachable for a while.

Getting a new business off the ground is hard. Keeping an existing company going is hard. If the company you call your own is not taking care of you as you would like, you should consider going out to get a job working for someone else.

All job seekers know that a typical job description as written is supposed to disqualify as many applicants as possible. All employees also know that 'other duties as assigned' is a back door for abuse through piling on unrelated work as any boss can declare as 'necessary.'  

When you go shopping, ever notice that the prices seldom end in zero? Why do prices end in 5, 7, 88, or 9?

If you are just getting started in business and are unsure of what to focus on as a product or service, find the intersection of these three concepts: what you can do or produce, what people will pay money for, and what you don't mind having to do. In that order of importance.

Want some insight into an industry? Be a customer and get to know a few of the guys' workings from the other side of the counter.